Newspaper Page Text
9
FRIDAY
December 30, 2005
Volume 135, Number 260
Award-Winning
Newspaper
2004
Better Newspaper
Contest
In BRIEF
New Years hours
In observance of the
New year, the Houston
Home Journal offices will
be closed Monday, Jan.
2.
Offices in Perry and
Warner Robins will
reopen with regualr
hours on Tuesday, Jan.
3, 2006.
Happy New Year from
the Houston Home
Journal.
Happy BIRTHDAY!
Allen Hawk
Kristin Lee
Terry Myers Jr.
Ernie Oppizzi
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or anni
versary is, and we’ll put their names
in the paper that day. Just send the
name and date at least a week in
advance, and we’ll do the rest. E
mail to hhj@evansnewspapers.com,
or mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please. Many
happy returns!)
Happy ANNIVERSARY!
none reported
(Surprise your friends! Let us
know when their birthday or anni
versary is, and we’ll put their names
in the paper that day. Just send the
name and date at least a week in
advance, and we'll do the rest. E
mail to hhj@evansnewspapers.com,
or mail them to us at the address
inside. No phone calls, please. Many
happy returns!)
Area DEATHS
Kenetha Ann "Nena"
Barger
Robert Dick
INDEX
CLASSIFIED 8A
CLUB NEWS 3A
COMICS 7 A
CROSSWORD.... 7A
LIFESTYLE 6A
OBITUARIES 2A
OPINION 4A
SCHOOL NEWS .. 3A
TV LISTINGS 7A
WEATHER 2A
PERIODICAL
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December 30, 2005
Serving Houston County Since 1870
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city of Perry, city of Warner Robins and city of Centerville
WR council annexes 858 acres
Residents oppose high'density development of land near Moody Road
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
The Warner Robins City
Council approved the annex
ation of 858.65 acres of land
in a special called meeting
on Wednesday, but they did
throw a couple of bones to
opponents.
The annexations centered
on the intersection of Moody
Road and Ga. 96 in the
Bonaire area.
The Warner Robins
Planning and Zoning
Commission had endorsed
the annexations in an ear
lier meeting and opponents
had objected specifically to
two of the plots. One was to
be zoned R-3 (which would
allow high-density develop
ment) and R-4 (which would
allow apartments).
The City Council approved
the annexations but stipulat
ed that the plot to be zoned
R-4 would instead be zoned
R-l while the other would be
zoned R-2. The council did
make it clear to the people
that this was not the final
determination of the two
cases. Developers still have
to present the site plans for
their proposals and they can
still be approved at the high
er zoning.
Annexation opponents left the
prior Warner Robins Planning and
Zoning Commission meeting left
with a bad taste in their mouths as
they felt they were not. allowed to
get their message across. They were
allowed only one speaker per annex
ation not allowed to put
WR water, sewer
rates upped 10%
By TIMOTHY GRAHAM
HHJ Staff Writer
The Warner Robins City
Council approved an increase
in the city’s water and sewer
rates Wednesday night, as
well as a bump in the sanita
tion fees.
Warner Robins has gone
seven years without an
increase in the water and
sewer rates and stands
in the lower 3 percent of
Georgia cities in those rates.
The time has come, however,
to increase those rates, said
Mayor Donald Walker.
“Inflation is just eating us
up,” Walker said.
The council initially agreed
to a 15 percent increase in
the water and sewer rates
while leaving the natural gas
rates unchanged.
The disagreement came,
however, when the discus
sion shifted to the sanitation
T-storms bring rain, hail, unconfirmed tornadoes
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
A massive storm system passed
through Middle Georgia Wednesday
afternoon, bringing rain, lightning,
hail, and reported tornadoes.
Houston County largely escaped
the wrath of Wednesday’s storm
front, according to county emer
gency management director Jimmy
Williams. Hail was reported in
Warner Robins ranging in size
from dimes to golf balls, reportedly
smashing windshields in front of
the Wal-Mart Shopping Center on
Watson Boulevard. Police in Warner
Robins were also warned to cover
their vehicles to prevent any dam
age from the storm.
“Really, the thing about this storm
was it moved on us so quickly,”
Williams said. “We really didn’t have
any predictions on this, and all of the
www.hhjnews.com
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HHJ Timothy Graham
James Yawn attempts to show the Warner Robins Planning and Zoning Commission
why the soil in the area of Moody Road and Ga. 96 is not suitable for high-density
development.
some technical data into the record.
Several people left the meeting say
ing that the planners were just a
“rubber stamp” for developers.
One of the opponents to the
annexation was James Yawn, who
protested that the soil in the area
was not suitable for high-density
development. Yawn said the soil
- called gumbo clay - shrinkS'when
fee, which currently stands
at $15.50 per month for resi
dences.
“$15.50 is too much to
charge as it is when you
consider how bad the service
is,” said Councilman Dean
Cowart.
“We are losing money on
it as it is,” said Councilman
Terry Horton. “We can’t con
tinue to charge $15.50 and
lose money every month. If
we have a problem with the
service we can talk about
that at another time.”
“I think we can all agree
that there are problems but
people on fixed incomes have
enough problems as it is and
we shouldn’t be hitting them
with this during the cold
est month of the year,” said
Councilman Matt Stone.
“We have had three
increases on their expenses
See RATES, page 12A
sudden at about 2:30 that afternoon
we were under a tornado watch.
“You don’t normally see this type
of storm in December.”
Quarter-sized hail was also report
ed in Centerville, Kathleen and Perry.
Around 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon,
storm sirens blared along Sam Nunn
Boulevard in Perry. A tornado was
reported west of the city limits along
Toomer Road, though unconfirmed.
The Perry Fire Department sent two
trucks to search for any signs of the
tornado, but found none.
“It was a good test of the city’s
sirens,” said Perry Fire Chief Freddy
Howell, who rode in the second
truck that set out to search for the
tornado. “At least we’ll get a good
warning next time.”
At the same time firefighters were
searching for a tornado that may
have never been there, a vehicle
dry and expands when wet to the
extent that it caused home founda
tions and roadways to crack.
“I do not object to the annexa
tions,” said Yawn. “But I do object
to any rezoning at a higher density
than R-l.”
Warner Robins Mayor Donald
Walker was a surprise speaker in
See ANNEXATIONS, fia^TZA
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The Georgia flag was flying upside down at Perry City Hall on Washington Street Thursday
morning.
fire was reported along the Perry
Parkway near Houston Lake Road.
Firefighter Kirk Crumpton said
that the engine compartment of the
1995 Dodge Intrepid was engulfed in
flame when firefighters arrived on
the scene around 3:30 p.m. The fire
may have been caused by a faulty
transmission. Although no one was
injured in the incident, Crumpton
said the car was not salvageable.
The National Oceanic &
Atmospheric Administration’s Storm
Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.,
cited more than 90 reports of hail
from Georgia to Ohio on Wednesday,
and the storm was already moving
up the Atlantic seaboard by press
time Thursday.
The Georgia Forestry Commission
reported quarter-size hail a quar
ter mile northeast of Fort Valley,
and sightings of a tornado head-
1 SECTION • 12 PAGES
Hawkinsville
man arrested
after Perry
stabbing
By MIKE GEORGE
HHJ Staff Writer
A Hawkinsville man was arrest
ed early Wednesday after allegedly
stabbing his girlfriend’s nephew
with a kitchen knife at a party on
Logue Street in Perry.
Stephen Tyler, 47, 0f306 Henson
Road in Hawkinsville, has been
charged with aggravated assault,
driving under the influence, and
possession of marijuana (less than
an ounce) after a Houston County
sheriffs deputy reportedly dis
covered marijuana in the green
1997 GMC dual-tire pickup truck
he was driving at the time of his
arrest.
Police were called to the scene
around 1 a.m. Wednesday, and
found 22-year-old Brendan Mimms
of McLear, Miss., lying inside the
house at 613 Logue Street with
a 1-inch stab wound near his
sternum. The kitchen knife was
recovered at the scene, but police
have not yet confirmed Tyler’s
fingerprints on the weapon.
Capt. Heath Dykes with the
Perry PD said a watch was issued
for Tyler’s arrest, and the Houston
County Sheriffs Department
stopped Tyler at U.S. 341 South
and Henson Road shortly after
ward.
“There was some kind of party
at the house, and apparently
Tyler refused to leave,” Dykes
said. Police believe he may have
See STABBING, 12A
ing northeast along Ga. 49 were
reported Wednesday afternoon,
although unconfirmed by the Storm
Prediction Center. Softball-sized
hail was reported five miles north
of Americus on Ga. 19 and also in
LaGrange.
Six tornadoes reportedly touched
down in Georgia, hitting Laurens,
Mitchell, Pulaski, Wilcox and Worth
counties.
“We saw some rotation in the
clouds on our radar, but nothing
touched down,” Williams said.
A second line of storms hit Houston
County later Wednesday night,
bringing more lightning and hail
to the area, according to Williams.
Williams categorized Wednesday’s
storms as the worst to hit the area
since Hurricane Katrina passed
through Middle Georgia in late
August, although damage was light.
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